Movie Info:
Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Directors: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner, Vanessa Haywood, Marian Hooman
Rating: R
Studio: Sony

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 14, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

While I had heard about District 9, I really did not know anything about the movie. What I did know was it was a Sci Fi movie and might involve aliens. That is about as far as my knowledge of this movie got. Despite any clue as to what this movie was about, I also heard it was good. Therefore, I wanted to check it out. I entered this film with a pretty much clean slate of knowledge.

After watching District 9 I must say it was money well spent for Peter Jackson. I am not a huge Jackson fan, but I can appreciate the efforts of a good producer who gives a chance to a budding creator/filmmaker. The story goes that Jackson was going to have Neill Blomkamp direct one of his projects. The project fell through, and Jackson decided to hand over his cash to let Blomkamp create his own movie. What he came up with is District 9.

Blomkamp had originally made his story for District 9 as a short film. This was an idea he’d filmed early in his career, and now, there was a chance to expand upon the idea. The millions of dollars that have been put into District 9 made the film a high tech, visually stimulating production. Of course, the story is what drives this movie and it is both well written and engaging.

Shadowing a world that South Africans knew well, District 9 explores the same kind of themes that were present during the 1980s in the apartheid era. Instead of racial discrimination, the discrimination is inter-species discrimination. Set in a modern world, we as audience members get a glimpse into what the world might be like if aliens showed up here on Earth, and sadly what happens isn’t pretty, though it does make for good storytelling.

District 9 Plot
It is the early 80s in Johannesburg, South Africa. A large UFO is hovering over the city. The beginning of the movie explains through news reports that it is believed the UFO is stuck on Earth. A million extraterrestrials that have arthropod-esque bodies have been stuck upon the Earth without a leader and many of them appear to be ill. Initially, they are welcomed to Earth, but when some partake in criminal activities humans demand that control be taken over the visitors.

Known as the “prawns”, a derogatory name for the aliens, they are stuck living in District 9. District 9 makes the ghetto look nice. It is a government controlled area in the city and is heavily controlled by the presence of police. After the beginning of the movie, it is close to present day. The prawns have been here over 20 years. MNU (Multinational United) is given the task of relocating the residents of District 9 to a new camp, District 10. A private military corporation helps to enforce the relocation. The military operation is overseen by Koobus Venter (David James).

The MNU sends Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) out to offer eviction notices to the prawns, and help coordinate their relocation. The prawns aren’t very happy and often have to be subdued by the military officers that accompany Wikus. As Wikus confiscates illegal items the aliens have and destroys some of the eggs, two aliens, one who has his small son with him, are putting special fluid into a container.

This alien is known as Christopher Johnson. When Wickus raids the shack they are in, he finds the container and some of it explodes onto him. It isn’t long before Wickus is puking his guts out. After returning home to a party thrown by his wife for his job promotion to field op, Wickus gets really sick and is taken to the hospital. His body is beginning to mutate into an alien body, and MNU confiscates him. Wickus is soon able to use alien weapons, something humans cannot do and MNU decides he’s valuable enough to kill and dissect, to study the alien form, before he fully transforms.

Upset and afraid, Wickus manages to escape. He is deemed a fugitive and has no place to go but District 9. There he must face possible capture, alien retribution and harassment from a local, Nigerian gang that sells to the prawns.

When Christopher and Wickus meet up and Christopher realizes what is happening to Wickus, he tells him he can help fix him, but he needs the canister back. It contains fluid that will reactivate the mothership and it took him 20 years to collect it. Wickus confiscated the canister, so they will have to go into MNU territory to retrieve it. With his wife lied to and his world falling apart, Wickus and Christopher form a kinship that transcends the human race and brings them up against a corrupt, unjust system of oppression.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
I wouldn’t know how to complain about District 9, if I wanted to, which I don’t. The 1080p transfer was realistically gritty and it made the movie that much better. Had this been a shining example of Blu-rays clarity, which in many ways it is, I would have been somewhat let down. District 9 is a movie that needs a little grit to make things shine. Despite it being gritty, the dirt and grime and the decay of the districts all look fabulous. This is probably because you know the purpose for these looks and they have nothing to do with a low budget. Seeing any ghetto done up in sparkling, vivid colors would have just been a disservice to the film. So, you have strong, deep colors that are neutral and dark in nature. The blacks are strong and the detail is amazing. It’s like you’re right there in the middle of the desolate prawn districts. I was in awe of this transfer and I’m sure that most fans will agree with me here.

The main audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. The dialogue is a shining example of Blu-ray sound. Likewise, the sound effects don’t disappoint. You might feel that this audio is not as strong as some of the newer movies out there to compare this with, but I didn’t notice anything to complain about. The differences in audio from the documentary film style to the actual in the moment movie are quite different. In either case, you hear everything you are supposed to (some thing are intentionally lower during those documentary scenes). The score is lovely for the movie and the sound effects can hit hard when there is a call for them to do so. A French DTS HD-MA 5.1 track is also included here. Subtitles are in English, French, and Hindi.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Before the movie begins you have to choose a human or an alien to get things rolling. I wasn’t sure at the time, but I learned later that the choice you make doesn’t make a difference. Either option leads you to the movie. District 9 includes a fair amount of special features, including the basics like commentary, digital copy of the film, and deleted scenes. The commentary is with the director, Neill Blomkamp. It appears that he did the commentary prior to the release of the movie. He talks a lot about the history of the film and how it was based off of his other works. He mentioned the housing issues in Johannesburg and other parallels that can be found in the movie. There isn’t a lot of blank space here. Blomkamp talks for nearly the entire movie and sounds intelligent the entire time. While I am not a big fan of commentaries, this one is definitely worth a listen.

The deleted scenes for District 9 last for close to 30 minutes. Normally I tell people that there is no point in watching the deleted scenes because they do not add anything to a movie. In this case, you end up with a mixed bag. I honestly wish that some of these would have made it into the final film. There are a few scenes here that did nothing for me. The scenes with various MNU members that were removed don’t make a big impact. However there are quite a few with Wikus that should have been left in. The scene where he lies to a Prawn telling it that he did not abort the Prawn’s baby/egg. There are also some scenes about eating dogs and cat food bribes that definitely should have made the cut. Those were the top three that were missing from the movie. There were some other good ones, but those were the ones to stand out. In any case, these are certainly worth watching.

“The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker’s Log” – You can play this in one piece or in various scenes as you prefer to watch it. Here you get a complete look at all of the various parts of the film. You learn about Halo and how they turned that into District 9. You also hear about ideas for the Prawns, various themes for the film, and more technical aspects of filmmaking, too. One of the most interesting pieces of this featurette deals with crafting the Prawn language.

“Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus” – This is a ten minute look at what it took to transform Wikus from a human into a Prawn. All of the important parts are covered from the falling off fingernails to the addition of Prawn parts. By the end of this it is easy to appreciate the work done by the actor, Copley, and the artists working on this film.

“Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of District 9” – This gives viewers a chance to check out the work that went into the dialogue. Actually much of this was the brilliance of Copley. A majority of his script (all of the MNU training/documentary video) was unscripted. He would show up for work and make up his own lines on the spot. This really sheds some light on the awkwardness of the film in parts where some people might not have understood what was going on or why things were the way they were.

“Concept and Design: Creating the World of District 9” – This will be interesting for the techies watching the film. You get a chance to learn about the illustrations for the various weapons and a lot of the Prawn build and different parts. This deals with all of the non-computer illustrations. The next feature is all about the CGI and computer effects.

“Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of District 9” – This feature is a little bit shorter than the last, but watching how the computer effects were created makes watching it worthwhile. It is amazing to see what they did with this film on such a limited budget. They talk about the various camera styles, lighting, what it took to design various characters, and what it took to actually make the Prawn parts. It’s a pretty cool featurette!

“Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9” – This Interactive Map is by far the coolest feature in the whole set. I haven’t had much of a complaint about anything, but this one takes the cake for sure! With the help of this map you get to take a tour of District 9. You can go around the shantytown, visit the mothership, or check out the headquarters of the MNU. If you hop on the mothership you get a chance to read all about the drop ship. You can also see scenes and check out Christopher’s shack. The MNU has weapons that they use and plenty of footage of the transformation of Wikus.

“Game Demo” – You need a PS3 for this, but if you have one you can put your disc into the PS3 and sample a pretty decent demo of God of War 3 that is well worth checking out.

“MovieIQ” – The best way to think of this is similar to a trivia track. You get a chance to learn who is in a scene, trivia style moments, stuff about the music, and general film facts. The best part here is that you have full ability to control the feature.

“Cinechat” – This gives you a chance to watch the film while talking/chatting to other people that are also watching the film. It blocks a good part of your screen and makes little sense to me, but hey, if you like that sort of thing, go for it!

The only other thing here is a set of previews for the following movies: Moon, This is it, 2012, Zombieland, and Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Everything about the District 9 Blu-Ray seems to be perfect. The movie is amazing and should be seen by anyone over the age of 15. Filled with bonuses and a Blu-Ray quality that does Peter Jackson’s mammoth budget proud, there is no other way to see this movie other than Blu-Ray. The District 9 Blu-Ray comes highly recommended.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Blu-Ray, Review, District 9, Prawn, Wikus, Sci Fi, South Africa, Alien, Mothership, segregation